Martin (elbow) has been placed on the 7-day injured list to begin the season at Triple-A St. Paul.
Martin suffered a UCL sprain in his right elbow in spring training and it's not clear how long he'll be sidelined. Martin largely underwhelmed at Double-A Wichita last year but picked things up late in the season and ended up hitting .235 with two homers, 57 runs, 32 RBI and 34 stolen bases over 90 games.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Austin Martin: Shut down with UCL sprain
Rotowire
Martin has been shut down from throwing and hitting due to a UCL sprain in his right elbow, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Martin largely underwhelmed at Double-A Wichita last year but picked things up late in the season and ended up hitting .235 with two homers, 57 runs, 32 RBI and 34 stolen bases over 90 games. It's not yet clear how long his shutdown will last, but he'll be in line for a significant absence if he requires Tommy John surgery.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Austin Martin: Having strong AFL campaign
Rotowire
Martin is hitting .380 with a .971 OPS, a home run and 10 stolen bases in 19 games in the Arizona Fall League.
The fifth overall pick in 2020 by Toronto was the key return in the Jose Berrios trade and seen by many as one of the top hitting prospects in the majors when traded to the Twins in 2021. However, he took huge step back in 2022 as he hit just .235/.362/.304 at Double-A. His struggles may have been due to an injury, as he missed five weeks in July and August due to a torn UCL in his left (non-throwing) elbow, per MLB.com. However, he was struggling even before the injury, especially to produce power. He did have 34 stolen bases, which could make him a fantasy asset with even modest power. Martin has strong on-base skills (12.3 percent walk rate), so his AFL performance could prove his 2022 season was an aberration.
Twins' Austin Martin: Reinstated from injured list
Rotowire
Double-A Wichita reinstated Martin (wrist) from its 7-day injured list Wednesday, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.
Martin sustained a wrist injury while diving for a ball at the beginning of July, but he recently appeared in two rehab games with the Twins' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate and went 2-for-8 with a double, three RBI, a run, a stolen base, two walks and a strikeout. The 23-year-old has a strong .371 on-base percentage at Wichita this year, but his .296 slugging percentage leaves something to be desired.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Austin Martin: Injury not season-ending
Rotowire
Martin still lacks an official diagnosis for his wrist injury, but it's not thought to be a season-ending issue, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Martin suffered the injury, which was originally reported as an elbow issue, when diving for a ball back on July 1. He doesn't have a clear return date, but president of baseball operations Derek Falvey called it a medium-term issue Saturday. Prior to the injury, Martin had made plenty of contact and showed good control of the zone but hit for very little power. He walked 12.4 percent of the time while posting a 14.1 percent strikeout rate but homered just once in 63 games.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Austin Martin: Out with elbow injury
Rotowire
Martin was placed on the 7-day injured list Wednesday at Double-A Wichita after hurting his left elbow diving for a ball, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Martin entered the season as one of Minnesota's top prospects, but he's been underwhelming by hitting .240/.371/.296 with one home run and 22 stolen bases. Martin's elbow injury isn't expected to be a long-term issue.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Austin Martin: Struggling with bat
Rotowire
Martin has gone just 10-for-48 (.208) with one extra-base hit (a double), two steals and a 5:14 BB:K over his last 16 games for Double-A Wichita. He's slashing .247/.371/.316 with one homer and 22 steals on the season.
The good news for Martin is that he's drawing walks at a solid clip and limiting his strikeouts while running surprisingly effectively. The bad news, of course, is that he's hitting the ball with precious little authority. Even while he's warmed up a bit lately, posting a five-game hitting streak, it's been all singles. Widely considered the best pure hitter in the 2020 draft class, Martin hasn't really lived up to that billing yet in the pros. Considering that he's a college bat who's now 23 years old, the clock is ticking for him to start performing up to expectations. If he doesn't turn things around this season, his prospect status will take a major hit.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Austin Martin: Heating up in May
Rotowire
Martin went 2-for-6 with a home run and stolen base in a doubleheader Sunday for Double-A Wichita. He's hitting .242 with a .713 OPS with 14 stolen bases. Martin was off to a slow start but is hitting .263 with an .865 OPS with a home run in May.
He's displaying his usual strong command of the strike zone with a 13.6% walk rate and 13.7% strikeout rate. His 13 steals are a bit of a surprise. He's been seen as an above-average runner (14-for-18 on stolen-base attempts in 93 games last season), but it may become a bigger part of his game.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Austin Martin: Sent to minor-league camp
Rotowire
Martin was reassigned to minor-league camp Saturday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Martin served as a non-roster invitee early in spring training, and he went 3-for-9 with a homer, four runs, two walks and five strikeouts across five Grapefruit League appearances. The 23-year-old finished the 2021 season at Double-A Wichita after being traded to Minnesota at the deadline, and he'll likely begin the 2022 campaign in Wichita or at Triple-A St. Paul.
Martin posted a modest .254/.399/.381 line for Double-A Wichita after being traded to Minnesota at the deadline, but he finished the regular season on a hot streak, hitting .298/.406/.456 with two homers, three steals and a 9:7 BB:K over his final 16 games.
All in all, for a guy who's widely considered to be among the best prospects in baseball, this wasn't a great season for Martin, who managed to hit just five home runs and go 14-for-18 on stolen bases across 93 games. That said, he did post a strong 60:83 BB:K, and he made contact at a higher rate following the trade. There was never a question about his approach at the plate, and he stands a good chance of hitting for average in the majors while offering some speed as well. His ultimate power output remains a major question mark, though, and that can't help but drag down his fantasy value.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Austin Martin: To focus on center field
Rotowire
The Twins view Martin as a center fielder but aren't ruling out a return to the infield, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Martin was traded to the Twins last week in the Jose Berrios deal. He's split his time between shortstop and center field at Double-A Portland, but it looks like he'll play center field for Double-A Wichita. The Twins have told Martin they plan to improve his arm strength, as he's seen as having a below-average arm in the outfield. It's also possible that Martin develops into a multi-position player. His bat should play at either position, as he's hitting .281/.424/.383 with a pair of homers and nine steals in 55 games. He needs to show more power, but his on-base skills are already elite.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Austin Martin: Moves to Minnesota
Rotowire
Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson were traded from Toronto to Minnesota on Friday in exchange for Jose Berrios, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
The Twins wind up with a strong return in exchange for a year and a half of the best remaining starter thought to be on the market. Martin, the fifth-overall pick in the 2020 draft, comes with plenty of potential for both Minnesota and fantasy teams. He doesn't have an obvious position and doesn't have any one elite skill, but he should do enough of everything to be quite a useful player. He made his professional debut at the Double-A level this season, splitting time between shortstop (where he may not have the arm to stick) and center field and hitting .281/.424/.383 with a pair of homers and nine steals in 55 games.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Austin Martin: Reaches base twice in Futures Game
Rotowire
Martin recorded a base hit and a walk in his two plate appearances Sunday in the American League squad's 8-3 loss to the National League in the 2021 All-Star Futures Game.
After a brief stint on the injured list in late June and early July, Martin returned to action for six games at Triple-A Buffalo before heading to Colorado for the Futures Game. Martin was able to make an impact off the bench for the AL side, allowing him to return to Triple-A with some momentum. The 22-year-old is slashing .273/.394/.379 with two home runs and five stolen bases across 198 plate appearances in his first professional season.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Austin Martin: Lands on injured list
Rotowire
Martin was placed on the 7-day injured list for Double-A New Hampshire on Friday, William Boor of MLBPipeline reports.
It's not clear at this point what Martin is dealing with, but he'll be sidelined for at least the next seven days. The highly touted prospect is slashing .275/.391/.394 with 16 RBI across 174 plate appearances with New Hampshire this season.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Austin Martin: Huge day at Double-A
Rotowire
Martin went 5-for-6 with two doubles, two runs, a stolen base and four RBI on Saturday in Double-A New Hampshire's 15-2 win over Hartford.
Martin extended his hitting streak to 10 games while reaching base a season-high five times on the day. The 2020 first-round pick has faced little resistance from Double-A pitching thus far during his first professional campaign, slashing .295/.403/.426 with two home runs and three stolen bases across 154 plate appearances. A promotion to Triple-A Buffalo could be in the forecast for Martin later in the summer.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Austin Martin: Will play both SS, CF
Rotowire
Martin will split his time between shortstop and center field for Double-A New Hampshire, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.
The Jays want to continue the 22-year-old's development at short, but with Jordan Groshans on the Fisher Cats as well, Martin will shift to center when Groshans is at the six. It's not yet clear what Martin's long-term defensive home will be, if he even has one, but at the very least, this suggests the organization isn't sold on Bo Bichette sticking at shortstop in the long term.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Austin Martin: Opening year at Double-A
Rotowire
Martin will begin the season at Double-A New Hampshire, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The canceled minor-league season last year meant Martin didn't get to make his professional debut in 2020 after being selected as the fifth overall pick. He's quite an advanced hitter despite his lack of professional experience, however, so he'll begin his career just two steps away from the big leagues. It may take a special level of performance for him to make his major-league debut this season, but he's on track to push for his first call-up in 2022.
